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“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ГРУДЕНЬ 2 018 WWW. UNWLA .ORG 33 INFORMATION OVERLOAD: YOU GOT MAIL by Ihor Magun, MD FACP These days, w e are bombarded by an ever - growing number of intrusion s , and the volume appears to be growing . Just look around you : e - mails, texts, social media feeds , etc. Everyone is affected by this to a certain degree. In many ways, this communication/information has been helpful and now is a part of everyday life. I ce rtainly am part of this digital information world and have been utilizing all aspects of communication. But while all of this is so helpful, many in the scientific community are becoming concerned about the side - effects about the prevalence of this techno - inundat ion and have begun to speculate about and document the possible consequences. So what are the issues of concern ? Some have opined that the intrusi ve barrage of e mails, texts, and social media sites all fall into the category of addiction. One exam ple sup porting this premise is the fact that m arketing companies have reported that ninety percent of all texts are read within three minutes of being sent. I am certain that does not come as a surprise to anyone who engages in this activity, but wonder ho w many people consider the unintended consequences . For one thing, cyber information is “always on” and provides what is referred to as a “thrill effect . ” What this translates to is the following: Y our incoming information comes with a stimulus and a rewa rd. You read about something and are able to react emotionally and write back. In doing so y ou also feel you are part of a social “in” group. That feeling is repeated constantly on a daily basis. The underlying question about this phenomenon is whether the consta nt barrage of stimuli has pitfalls. The human brain is capable of many things. A s you are reading this sentence, your attention is focused on this article. This is referred to as top - down attention. The focus is purely on the information that is in front of you. You can generally control interruptions and distractions referred to as bottom - up attention, which f alls under the category of our survival nature . If you should hear a threatening noise, for example, it sets off the bottom - up attention. To relate this phenomenon to this discussion, al l of our digital distractions fall into that bottom - up category (unless, of course we are solely focused on that e mail or that tweet as your only task). But t hese repeated digital distractions are not a health y habit because they wreak havoc on concentration and memory and also undermine intellect. In fact, t hese interruptions, mostly self - inflicted, interfere with our work ; they increas e the time it takes to complete a task and promote errors. This, in turn, p romotes excess impulsiveness as w e easily fall into the habit of checking e mails, social media and blogs every few minutes (even though we do not need to do this). The more interruptions we allow , the more they destroy our self - regulation. This can cross over to other aspects of your life — like overeating. and other issues that are (or should be) affected by self - regulation . So what can be done to defend yourself from this phenomenon ? I am not proposing nor encouraging boycott ing all this cyber - information ; I am merely suggesting that we set boundaries . Turn off noise - producing alerts so as to not be tempted to check. De signate a specific time period during the day for cyber - activities and set a specific time limit. You will discover, i n fact, th at you can concentrate better during that time because you have made it finite rather than infinite . I have incorporated this technique into my own cyber - life and feel better . In doing so, I have not experienced any negative issues or problems . Of course, the caveat here is that us ing any device to address u rgent or crucial matters is completely acceptable. I hope this information has been useful and that you have plenty of real - time face - to - face social interaction without interruptions during this Christm as season. Use your devices in a healthy way , embracing the convenience , but never forget that p ersonal interaction and conversation is always a great interruption to life’s ups and downs and a much healthier alternative to anything you can find online ! W ishing you all the best for Christmas. I look forward to writing and sharing fascinating and useful information about to pics related to and promoting your good health now in 2019!
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